For me, it cycles through the challenge of writing while in classes to the wide open space of vacations and summers when I should be writing, but seem to do every other thing on my to do list before sitting down at my computer.

Over the past few years, I've stumbled across some great writing resources, many provide subscription emails. A few subject lines from these resources popped out at me this morning from my inbox, and I'd like to share.

Back in January I got a dog. Halfway through the first year of my doctoral program.

We always had a family dog growing up. When I left for college, I was most excited to see our dog when I got home. Snuggling on the floor and playing outside brought me more joy than anything else.

The past few years, in residency then a masters program, I've been assessing my financial status and time commitments to see if it was time to responsibly get a dog.

The time came shortly after the New Year, and it's been the best decision I ever made.My flexible schedule allows me to work from home, going to campus for classes. My flexible schedule also allows us to venture out to the dog park once or twice a day. I've made friends with other grad students/dog parents there and life is good.

Often, landlord rules for rentals prevent tenants from getting a pet. My pup is an emotional support animal, or an ESA. They're different from service animals in that they are not trained to do a certain task for their owner. But they are covered under legislation. ​​